This invention relates to dentistry, more particularly the invention relates to dental instruments with gripping handles and a method for manufacturing same.
Hand-held instruments typically used by dentists and dental hygienists include curettes, universals, scaler and explorers. All of these dental instruments have an elongate shaft with various styles of workpieces extending out oft the ends of said shafts. The shank and end of the shaft are not knurled or otherwise textured having smooth stainless steel surfaces. The instruments are generally used in a modified pencil grip with the middle finger providing pressure on the shank of the workpiece or proximate to the end of the shaft. Users will often move their middle finger between the end of the shaft and the shank depending on various factors including the region of the mouth they are working on and the pressure needed. Gripping of these instruments directly on the stainless steel shaft has been facilitated by knurled or otherwise textured surfaces. The relatively slender configuration of the shafts and the required delicate but firm utilization of these instruments in dental work has led to cumulative trauma injuries such as carpel tunnel. The metal surface can also be slippery, especially when moistened, such as by saliva, requiring an even tighter grip on the conventional style dental instruments. The slipperiness problem is exacerbated by latex gloves which have very high slipperiness when used on stainless steel in the presence of moisture.
U.S. Patent No. 5,090,907 issued to Fred G. Hewitt et al. discloses a finger pad proximate to the workpiece that was resilient and could rotate about the shaft of the dental instrument. Said pad is only configured to receive a single finger and does not easily accommodate the sliding of the middle finger from the pad to the shank of the workpiece. Padding was not provided for the other fingers utilized in the gripping of the dental instrument.